Neil K. Dhingra 1/5 Neil K. Dhingra Electrical and Computer Engineering Phone: (248) 760-0738 University of Minnesota E-mail: dhin0008@umn.edu 5-149 Keller Hall, 200 Union Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dhin0008 EDUCATION PhD Candidate, Electrical Engineering September 2010 - Expected: Spring 2016 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN GPA: 3.7/4.0 Advisor: Professor Mihailo R. Jovanović BSE in Electrical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics September 2006 - May 2010 University of Michigan, GPA: 3.5/4.0 Magna Cum Laude HONORS AND AWARDS Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, University of Minnesota 2015-2016 MnDRIVE Graduate Scholars Fellowship, MnDRIVE Initiative 2014-2016 Harriet G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship, NASA 2011-2014 ECE Departmental Fellowship, University of Minnesota 2010-2011 Space Grant Award Recipient, Michigan Space Grant Consortium 2010 1st Place - Sandia Design Challenge, University of Michigan 2010 Dean s List, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan 2009-2010 University Honors, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan 2006-2010 Summer Certificate: Public Finance, London School of Economics 2008 Michigan Merit Award Scholarship, Michigan Department of Treasury 2006 RESEARCH INTERESTS Distributed systems theory and applications (e.g., power networks, vehicle formations) Large-scale and distributed optimization Fluid flow modeling and control (theory, simulations, and experiments) WORK EXPERIENCE NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (formerly Dryden) Edwards, CA Graduate Fellow 2011-2014 Worked on Aeroservoelastic control for flutter suppression in flexible aircraft Developed methods for sensor selection and placement for optimal detection of flutter Developed design techniques for distributed control architectures Evaluated design methods and techniques on the X-56 aeroelastic testbed aircraft
Neil K. Dhingra 2/5 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Autonomous Systems Division Pasadena, CA Space Grant Intern June - August 2010 Worked on Automated Target Recognition system which identifies and locates targets in images and video Developed novel machine learning method to improve accuracy for problems with limited training data Tested machine learning algorithms for target recognition (Support Vector Machines, Neural Networks) Wireless Integrated Microsystems ERC Undergraduate Research Assistant May 2008 - June 2010 Designed and tested wirelessly-interfaced stimulating and recording neural probes Analyzed effect of carbon nanotube coating on electrode site impedance using frequency response data for system identification and comparison with analytic model (Randles model) VLSI layout of digital circuits which control recording parameters and stimulation waveforms of probe sites Verified VLSI layouts with Spice models during design process and tested functionality in lab after fabrication Integrated multiple ASIC chips with computer LabVIEW interface for bidirectional wireless interface Campus Automated Rich Media Archive Undergraduate Research Assistant May 2009 - August 2009 Developed technology to track and record a moving lecturer with an automated video camera Implemented time delay of arrival methods to triangulate speaker location based on both: Lecturer Speech - delay from microphone on the lecturer to microphones deployed around the classroom Ultrasonic Pulse - delay from transmission of a pulse by an ultrasonic transmitter on the speaker to ultrasonic receivers deployed around the classroom Designed DSP algorithms to determine time delay of arrival despite noisy and reverberant auditoriums INVIA Medical Imaging Solutions Programmer August 2007 - August 2008 Designed and implemented Web, MS Access and.net Interfaces for management and editing of customer data, including software key generation, error tracking and sales information Evaluated 3rd party products to supplement developed infrastructure Formulated architecture and developed framework for database which stores customer data records ThyssenKrupp Krause, Inc. Auburn Hills, MI Programmer May 2005 - August 2007 Developed.NET applications, macros, and AutoLISP scripts to improve processes and aid designers Formulated database architecture for Engineering Change Notification (ECN) system Designed a suite of applications which allowed engineers to create and edit ECNs, and for managers to track ECN patterns, statistics and trends Trained and managed the group of interns who succeeded me
Neil K. Dhingra 3/5 LEADERSHIP/OUTREACH MnDRIVE Graduate Scholars Program Fellowship Outreach Minneapolis, MN Graduate Fellow 2014 - Initiate, coordinate, and volunteer with outreach programs Led activities at low-income schools for children to learn about circuits and solder a small robot FIRST Lego League Team Mentor Organized partnership with Abamath robotics to fund low-income students in a robotics league Teaching Science, Math and Research Technology (TSMART) Minneapolis, MN School Coordinator and Session Leader 2013 - Interest elementary/middle school children in STEM fields by leading interactive science/math lessons, e.g. Extracting DNA from strawberries Elementary probability and how to win in the game of Monopoly Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) Minneapolis, MN Graduate Student Senator 2012-2014 Make funding decisions for student travel and academic initiative grants Communicate with university organizations for to coordinate school-wide initiatives IAESTE Reception Coordinator, Social Chair 2008-2010 International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience Reception Coordinator - Coordinated housing, employment and arrival of international interns Social Chair - Organized social activities to foster friendship and expose international interns to US culture TEACHING EXPERIENCE Recitation section instructor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota (EE 3015) Signals and Systems Spring 2016 Teaching Assistant, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota (EE 3006) Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering Laboratory Fall 2010, Spring 2011 PUBLICATIONS REFEREED CONFERENCE PAPERS 1. N. K. Dhingra, and M. R. Jovanović, Sparsity-promoting optimal control of systems with invariances and symmetries, in Proceedings of the 10th IFAC Symposium on Nonlinear Control Systems, Monterey, CA, 2016. (submitted). 2. N. K. Dhingra, M. Colombino and M. R. Jovanović, On the convexity of a class of structured optimal control problems for positive systems, in Proceedings of the 2016 European Control Conference, Aalbord, Denmark, 2016. (submitted). 3. N. K. Dhingra, and M. R. Jovanović, A method of multipliers algorithm for sparsity-promoting optimal control, in Proceedings of the 2016 American Control Conference, Boston, MA, 2016. (to appear)
Neil K. Dhingra 4/5 4. N. K. Dhingra, and M. R. Jovanović, Convex synthesis of symmetric modifications to linear systems, in Proceedings of the 2015 American Control Conference, Chicago, IL, pages 3583-3588, 2015. 5. N. K. Dhingra, M. R. Jovanović, and Z. Q. Luo, Optimal sensor and actuator selection for large-scale dynamical systems, in Proceedings of the 49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA, 2015. 6. N. K. Dhingra, M. R. Jovanović, and Z. Q. Luo, An ADMM algorithm for optimal sensor and actuator selection, in Proceedings of the 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Los Angeles, CA, pages 4039-4044, 2014. 7. David Zoltowski, N. K. Dhingra, F. Lin, and M. R. Jovanović, Sparsity-promoting optimal control of spatiallyinvariant systems, in Proceedings of the 2014 American Control Conference, Portland, OR, pages 1261-1266, 2014. 8. N. K. Dhingra, F. Lin, M. Fardad and M. R. Jovanović, On identifying sparse representations of consensus networks, in Proceedings of the 3rd IFAC Workshop on Distributed Estimation and Control in Networked Systems, Santa Barbara, CA, pages 305-310, 2012. 9. M. Scholten, N. K. Dhingra, T.T. Lu and T.H. Chao, Optimization of support vector machine (SVM) for object classification, in SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, pages 839806-1 839806-9, International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2012. ABSTRACTS 10. N. K. Dhingra, M. R. Jovanović, P. J. Schmid, Identification of spatially-localized flow structures via sparse proper orthogonal decomposition, American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013. 11. Sr. M.E. Merriam, M. Roberts, Y. Zhang, N. K. Dhingra, A.J. Hart, K.D. Wise, CNT-modified electrode sites for in vitro and in vivo silicon probe studies. Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Conference, Austin, TX, 2010. PRESENTATIONS AND POSTER SESSIONS 1. Convex design of combination drug therapy, IMA Annual Program Year Workshop on Biological Systems and Networks, Minneapolis, MN, 2015. 2. Optimal sensor and actuator selection for large-scale dynamical systems, 49th Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA, 2015. 3. Convex synthesis of symmetric modifications to linear systems, 2015 American Control Conference, Chicago, IL, 2015. 4. An ADMM algorithm for optimal sensor and actuator selection, 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Los Angeles, CA, 2015. 5. Optimal sensor and actuator selection for large-scale systems, MnDRIVE Robotics, Sensors, and Advanced Manufacturing Kickoff, Minneapolis, MN, April 2014. 6. Identification of spatially-localized flow structures via sparse proper orthogonal decomposition, 66th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, Pittsburgh, PA, November 2013. 7. On identifying sparse representations of consensus networks, 3rd IFAC Workshop on Distributed Estimation and Control in Networked Systems, Santa Barbara, CA, September 2012. 8. Machine Learning for Automatic Target Recognition, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Summer Student Seminar, Pasadena, CA, August 2010. 9. CNT-Modified Electrode Sites for In Vitro and In Vivo Silicon Probe Studies, WIMS ERC Industrial Advisory Board Meeting Poster Session, May 2010.
Neil K. Dhingra 5/5 10. A 3-D Bidirectional Interface System for Neural Mapping Studies, WIMS ERC Industrial Advisory Board Meeting Poster Session, May 2009. 11. A 3-D Bidirectional Interface System for Neural Mapping Studies, WIMS ERC Industrial Advisory Board Meeting Poster Session, October 2008. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND ACTIVITIES Reviewer IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. American Control Conference. Elsevier Neurocomputing. Automatica. Membership Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Control Systems Society. American Physical Society, Physics. 2013 - present 2013 - present 2015 - present 2016 - present September 2010 - present September 2013 - present Council of Graduate Students Travel Grant Award Reviewer Spring 2013 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LANGUAGES English (native), French (proficient) SOFTWARE Matlab, Simulink, IC Station, SPICE, VHDL, Verilog, LabVIEW, Microsoft Visual Studio: Visual Basic, C, C#, C++, MPI for distributed computing, ASP.NET, AutoLISP, VBA for Word, Excel & Access, Photoshop, Illustrator